Yiftach Atir’s novel, The English Teacher, is newly appeared in English translation this year. Host Marcela Sulak reads some excerpts from the book, including Atir’s opening note:
“The book you are holding in your hands is the true story of what never happened. This is the story of a Mossad operative. She and others like her operate alone for extended periods of time, deep in enemy countries. Unlike their front-line soldier counterparts, these secret soldiers are armed with nothing but a foreign passport, a fake identity, extensive training, and inexplicable courage.”
Atir was born in 1949 on a kibbutz in the south of Israel. As a young military officer, he participated in Operation Entebbe as well as other, still-classified, military and intelligence operations. The English Teacher is the third of his four novels.
Text:
The English Teacher by Yiftach Atir. Translated by Philip Simpson. Penguin Books, 2016.
Music:
Rami Fortis – Shkiata Shel HaZricha
Alberto Iglesias – “George Smiley” (from Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy OST)
Dick Hyman – Theme from The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Producer: Laragh Widdess
Technical producer: Alex Benish
